From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
The Senator representing Anambra Central and a member of the Senate Committee on the 1999 Constitution Review, Victor Umeh, has said that the South East remains the most underrepresented zone in Nigeria.
He said the current constitutional framework in the country was unjust to the zone, blaming military-era decisions for structural imbalances that have continued to marginalise the region.
Umeh stated this in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, in an interview with journalists during the visit of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution to the state on Sunday, July 6, 2025.
“The first problem is that the constitution we operate today was not produced through a democratic, civilian process. It was a military constitution, crafted by a military government that imposed a structure of governance which has consistently disadvantaged the Southeast,” he said.
He opined that the South East has only five states and 95 local government areas out of a national total of 774.
“The Southwest has 137 LGAs, South-South has over 100, and the Northwest—the most favoured—has states like Kano with 44 LGAs and Jigawa with 38. These structural imbalances have lasting consequences on federal appointments, resource allocation, and representation.”
Umeh explained that the number of states and local governments was a key determinant in federal resource distribution, civil service recruitment, and ministerial appointments.
“Ministers are appointed from the states. We have only five ministers from the Southeast, while other zones with more states have more representation. The current administration has up to eight ministers from some regions, and we have just five.”
He lamented the difficulty in amending the constitution to correct these imbalances, describing the process as “herculean,” but expressed hope that the rest of the country would support a fair solution.
“At the 2014 National Conference, which had 492 eminent Nigerian leaders, it was agreed that one additional state should be created in the Southeast as a first step toward equality. That is the state we are now pursuing. Even if no other new state is created across the country, Nigeria should, in the name of equity, create at least one more state in the Southeast.”
“During national conventions of political parties, delegates come from LGAs. With the fewest LGAs, we consistently have the least voice. It’s a systemic suppression that cuts across political representation, economic development, and national relevance,” he said.
He further advocated for the decentralisation of the Nigerian Police Force, reiterating his support for creating state police as a practical response to the worsening insecurity across the country.
“The centralised command structure for policing has failed. We need to devolve powers and allow state policing to combat insecurity more effectively. Even the Governors’ Forum is beginning to shift its position on this.”
Despite scepticism over the effectiveness of piecemeal amendments, Umeh maintained that efforts must continue to push for constitutional justice.
“Some of us have called for a completely new constitution, but if that’s not feasible now, we must improve what we have while we wait for the right thing to be done. Eventually, the pressure of injustice will force a reckoning.”